Zhouzhuang(Zeguo)

Zhouzhuang is a world-famous ancient water town in the south of the Yangtze River. The town is crisscrossed with waterways, and old buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties were built along the river. The double bridges painted by painter Chen Yifei depict the gentleness of the people living by the small bridges and flowing water. The South Lake to the south of the ancient town is open and beautiful. At night, Zhouzhuang is lit up, and there is another artistic conception.

Highlights

• Ancient house with brick-carved gatehouse in the misty rain of Jiangnan

Zhouzhuang's architecture is mainly composed of Jiangnan dwellings, among which there are nearly 100 ancient houses, most of which are from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The ancient town is surrounded by water, which makes it a river town. Various waterways form a "well" shape embedded in the ancient town, making Zhouzhuang a unique pattern of streets formed by water and streets as markets. On the water lanes of Zhouzhuang, 14 ancient stone bridges built in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties are well preserved. The ancient bridges, water lanes and ancient houses are truly "small bridges, flowing water and people's homes".

• Visit ancient dwellings and trace the footprints of celebrities

There are many ancient residential buildings here, the most famous of which are Zhang Hall, Shen Hall, and the mysterious underwater tomb of Shen Wansan, which is said to be the cenotaph of Shen Wansan. Shen Hall was built by the descendants of Shen Wansan. It is a well-preserved Qing Dynasty residential building in Zhouzhuang. It has an exquisite structure. You can visit it to see the life of a wealthy man in Jiangnan, and you can also touch the legendary "treasure bowl". Zhang Hall was originally named Yishun Hall and was built in the earlier Ming Dynasty. It was transferred to a family surnamed Zhang in the Qing Dynasty and renamed Zhang Hall. It is a typical Ming Dynasty official residence.

• The rowing boats in the water lanes are a beautiful water village dream.

Zhouzhuang Ancient Town is not very large, with a length and width of about one to two kilometers. You can walk around the entire town. However, rafting on the waterway is highly recommended. The boats in the ancient town are wooden boats covered with blue floral cloth, which can carry one to six people. The aunties rowing the boats often sing some Kunqu opera tunes, which are very charming.

• "Only Zhouzhuang" Immersive Multi-dimensional Space Drama

The immersive multi-dimensional space drama "Only Zhouzhuang" aims to immerse the audience in a "journey of encounter with oneself" in the form of a dream within a dream. The play breaks the pattern of traditional drama and stage performance, explores the issues of space and time in deconstruction and reconstruction, and integrates Song Dynasty aesthetics with multi-dimensional technological creativity, leading the audience to travel beyond the three-dimensional space, so as to gain a super-sensory experience of emotion and soul.

The story tells about a young traveler named Zhou He who comes to Zhouzhuang for a gathering of astronomy enthusiasts. In his dream, he witnesses the dreams and life of a Song Dynasty man of the same name in Zhouzhuang 900 years ago, and has a dialogue across time and space with many Zhouzhuang celebrities. In 80 minutes, you will enter the dreams of contemporary Zhou He and Song Dynasty man Zhou He, follow the four chapters of "Old Dreams, Paintings, Expeditions, and Finding Paths", enter the world of Song Dynasty aesthetics, enter the quaint water town 900 years ago, and witness the respective pursuits of old friends in Zhouzhuang.

Old Dream: Welcome to Zhouzhuang! At an offline gathering of astronomy enthusiasts, you met a young man named Zhou He, who casually picked up a copy of "Zhouzhuang Town Chronicles" at the front desk to read before going to bed. That night, all the guests of the hotel miraculously entered the same dream, and you entered Zhou He's dream. With the sound of rain outside the window, Zhou He read a book in his dream and returned to the water town nine hundred years ago, where he met a Song Dynasty man with the same name as himself. Come, let's dream together. Highlights: A full-scale immersive drama performance in the immersive dome light and shadow space brings you a shocking visual enjoyment.

Into the Painting: Dreams within dreams, you walk with a lantern, following Zhou He's footsteps, and enter the dream of a Song Dynasty man of the same name. The dream is full of memories, including the banquets and prosperity of Tokyo in the past, the acquaintance and separation with the court singer Tao Xi, and the promises and entrustments of others. When he woke up from the dream, Zhou He of the Song Dynasty had an answer to the question of whether to stay or go, "There are beautiful scenery outside the Jiangnan water town, why do you stay here alone, brother Zhou?" Just because "this place where my heart is at peace is my hometown" Highlights: The official court musicians who played the twelve drums and whistles were restored on site, and the court dancers of the Song Dynasty danced against the backdrop of light and shadow, showing the prosperous court scene.

Going to war: Zhou He, a modern man, chases the light in the fragments of time, witnessing the half-life story of Zhou He, a Song Dynasty man, who stayed in Zhouzhuang. In order to protect the water town, he sent his son Zhou Xi to the army. He looked at the sword under the lamplight while drunk, and dreamed of blowing the horn in the camp. Zhou Xi was brave and good at fighting, and led 300 warriors from Zhouzhuang to join the anti-Jin team heading north. Highlights: Take a "warship" and be in the fierce anti-Jin battle, and feel the war atmosphere of wind and rain, thunder and lightning, and artillery.

Finding the way: The ginkgo tree planted by Zhouzhuang elders to commemorate the warriors who fought against the Jin Dynasty has become a sacred tree for the people of the water town to pray for blessings. In the dream, time and space disappear, and the modern man Zhou He takes over the guide fish lantern and waits under the ginkgo tree. Zhang Han, Zhou Digonglang, Shen Wansan...old friends from the village come into the dream and tell the feeling of "only this Zhouzhuang". At dawn, each of us wakes up from our own dream, recalling this "lucid dream" where we once met each other. I hope that all the white alienation can at least meet and embrace in dreams. Highlights: Hundreds of blessing lotus lanterns on the sacred tree illuminate the lost people one by one, which is both real and dreamlike.

• Live a slow life, enjoy leisure by strolling in the garden

Zhouzhuang is a very suitable place to relax. You can get up in the morning, enjoy the breeze by the river and have some Jiangnan-style breakfast. During the day, you can walk around the town, listen to operas and drink tea in a teahouse, or go to a cafe to read a book and drink coffee. In the evening, you can go to a bar for a drink. Many bars have resident singers or performances.

Specialty Shopping

Zhenfeng Cultural Street: Sells Jiangnan handicrafts, including homespun cloth, shoe art, walnut carvings, bamboo weaving, etc. Most shops close at sunset.

Cardboard King Theme Creative Park: All kinds of decorations and small items in the store are made of paper, which is very unique. You will find that so many interesting things can be made with just paper.

Quanfu South Road Cultural and Creative Street: There are intangible cultural heritage shops such as Xiu Niang Silk and Zhu Bingren Copper, as well as delicious food such as Daoxiang Village, Crab Partner, Pincool Workshop, and Sencui Women's Clothing.

Zhangting Fan Shop: It has a collection of thousands of fans, including round fans, folding fans, etc. The Suzhou embroidery and ink paintings are very distinctive, and you can deeply understand the profound heritage of fan culture.

of Zhouzhuang properties

If conditions permit, it is recommended to stay in the ancient town for one night to get a deeper understanding of this place. There are many inns opened by local people in the ancient town, most of which are located along the river and have backyards. The environment is very good and quiet, and you can choose according to your needs.

Zhouzhuang Food

When you come to Zhouzhuang, you can't miss the local snacks. There are many specialty snack shops near Zhenfeng Street and around Shen Ting. Zhouzhuang has a very rich variety of snacks, including Wansan Pig's Trotters, Apocai, White Silk Fish, Sanwei Yuan, etc. The Jiangnan-style Qingtuan, Socks-bottomed Pastry, Supporting Cake and other kinds of pastries can also be found here. You can look for and taste them while shopping.

Delicious Wansan Pig's Hoof: Longfeng Restaurant, Wansan Restaurant

Grandma's cuisine: Shenting Restaurant, Zhouzhuang Huajiantang Platycodon Restaurant

Sanweiyuan: Wansan Restaurant, Shenting Restaurant